Cellulosic product



Dec. 15, 1964 R. A. LOESCHER 3,161,336

CELLULOSIC PRODUCT Filed July 25, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1964 R. A. LOESCHER 3,161,336 v CELLULOSIC PRODUCT Filed July 25, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet? 24 /&

Dec. 15, 1964 R. A. LOESCHER CELLULOSIC PRODUCT 3 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed July 25, 1962 United States Patent Ofiice 316L335 Patented Dec. 15, 1964 3,161,336 CELLULOSXQ PRGBUCT Richard A. Loescher, Appleton, Wis, assignor to Kimberly-Ciark Corporation, Neenah, Wis a corporation of Delaware Filed July 25, 1962, Ser. No. 212,231 6 (Ilaims. (Qt. 225ltl6) This invention relates to improvements in sheet dispensing cartons, and more specifically to the combination of an improved dispensing carton and an enclosed stack of sheetsinterbonded in a manner for optimum individual dispensing therefrom.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved carton for the sequential dispensing of individual sheets housed therein in flat rather than in folded configuration but marginally inter'conded one to the other in a patterned configuration.

Another object is to provide a carton with an improved dispenser opening which permits individual sheet extraction from a corner location with minimum resultant crumpling or wrinkling.

Another object is to provide improvements in the marginal interbonding of a stack of tissues particularly adapted to be dispensed from the carton herein taught.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon examination of the drawings and description.

'Inthe drawings, in which like pants are identified by the same reference numeral,

stack'of tissues interbon'ded'in a'm'anner shown in FIG.

4 and positioned for deposit in an inverted carton incorporating the invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a canton incorporating the invention, the top wall of which has been removed to best illustrate the sheet withdrawal.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are views similar to FIG. 6 illustrating subsequent stages during sequential sheet withdrawal from the carton.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a boxboard carton It is provided with an opening 12 marginally defined by perforations or the like which extend continuously through corner portions of the top and adjacent side walls. Opening 12 is preferably defined by a pair of lines of weakening 14, 16 diverging upwardly, as shown, in a generally \i configuration from a position adjacent a lower corner 13 to upper margins of respective side walls 18, 20, the upper ends of said V configuration being interconnected by an extension of said weakening lines 22 extending arcuately through a corner portion of the top wall.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the marginally defined corner dispensing opening 12, resulting from manual removal of the corner area marginally defined in FIG. 1, provides an aperture somewhat top-shaped in configuration as viewed. While the opening shown is a preferred form, the invention contemplates corner openings of modified configuration. The opening must however be of a size to subject individual tissue sheets, during extraction, to constrictive forces sufiicient to insure breakage of intershcet bonds, as later described.

As best shown in FIG. 4, a strip of sheet material 24, such as creped fibrous tissue suitable for use as napkins, towels, handkerchiefs or the like, is divided into successive rectangular panels 26 by partially cut and partially perforated transverse margins each consisting of major cut segments 28 and minor perforated segments 30. The cut and perforated segments are positioned respectively in astaggered manner marginally of successive panels. Hence each panel is marginally deined by both a cut segment 28 extending over a major portion of the transverse sheet width and a perfon ted segment "30 extending therefrom to the opposite margin of the sheet. Cut segments thus extend in a repetitive pattern from opposite side margins of the ship at opposite ends of each'panel.

FIG. 5 illustrates the manner in which strip 24, FIG. 4, is folded along successive panel margins to form stack '32 for deposit in carton ll Stack 32 thus consists of a plurality of tissue sheet panels 26 each of which is partially separated by cut segments 28 while "being lightly bonded one to the other by remaining minor perforated segments'iiti. With panels 26 reversely o'verfolded, as shown in FIG. 5, the successive panels remain-marginally connected along'diagonally opposed corner portionswhile the two remaining diagonally'opposed panel corner portions remain free of interb'onding' as best shown 'by the exploded upper pontion of the stack. 'It 'will be noted that the stack will be so positioned within carton 10 that the diagonally opposed non-interbonded corner portions are placed adjacent opening 12' and the-corner diagonally thereof, and as a result thereof the interbonded corner portions lie along portions of walls 34,20 respectively in substantial spaced relationship to opening 12.

As best shown in FIGS. '6, 7 and 8, interbonded portions of the stack 32 lie respectively along the uppermost portion, as shown, of wall 20 and along the lowermost portion, as shown, of wall-34 and though the vertically registeredinterbonded stack portions are not intruly symmetrical relation to opening '12,they are so positioned fllat upon sequential withdrawal of an individual sheet 'an'interconnected lower sheet is drawn by a leading sheet substantially across one dirirensionofthe carton'to arrive at opening 12.. Thus as the uppermost sheet 38 of stack 32 is initially withdrawn through opening 12, the portion thereof interbonded to a contiguous lower sheet 40 may be drawn somewhat outwardly of a corner portion of wall 23 into somewhat the position shown in FIG. 6. As sheet 38 continues toward opening 12 it is peeled from the stack as lower sheet 40 is drawn therewith into and partially through opening 12. Upon complete extraction of sheet 38, interbond St} is broken, leaving .a corner portion of the trailing sheet 40 extending outwardly of opening 12, as shown in FIG. 7, to facilitate subsequent extraction thereof. The strength of the interbond is controlled by known methods of perforation and is such that the bond will tear only after a portion of the trailing sheet 4 9 has been drawn through opening 12. Subsequent withdrawal of the sheet shown trailing in FIG. 6 and leading in FIGS. 7 and 8 in turn peels off the next lower sheet as the intermediate bonding portion is drawn transversely of the bottom wall, as shown, and partially through opening 12 to be broken as shown in FIG. 8, upon full extraction of sheet 40. A subsequent sheet extraction repeats the cycle with successively withdrawn sheets peeling off underlying sheets from alternate corners or" the stack, each of which is substantially spaced from opening 12.

While the drawings illustrated and the 'above description are directed to the preferred embodiment of the invention, persons skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the concepts herein taught will find application in modified structure permitting sequential withdrawal of r 3 the individual sheets which are as housed in the carton. Such sheets will therefore readily assume, after withdrawal, a flat configuration without crease lines. The optimum extentiof intersheet bonding is such as to permit the employment of a corner aperture of sufiicient size to minimize sheet wrinkling during extraction while insuring proper bond breakage with the trailing sheet extending sufficie-ntly outwardly not individually folded of the opening to permit convenient access thereto for subsequent extraction.

In the claims:

1. In combination, a rectangular carton, including top, bottom, end and side Walls, said carton provided with a corner aperture marginally defined by relieved portions of said top wall and adjacent side and end walls of said corner, and a stack of lightly interbonded and reversely and flatly overfolded tissue sheets disposed Within said carton and sequentially dispensable through said corner aperture, said tissue sheets being disposed one over another in flat uncreased configuration in s'aid stack, and being interconnected with each other only by minor perforated segments along alternate marginal edges of said reverse overfolds. 4 7

2. The carton oftclairri [1 wherein said aperture is defined by side and end wall margins symmetrically diverging upwardly from one" corner of the carton to the upper margins of adjacent side and end walls to define a V-shaped opening leading into an interconnected top wall aperture marginally defined in the adjacent corner area of said top wall. 7 V

3. The carton of claim 2 wherein the side and corner end Wall margins defining said V-shaped opening are'in registry,eat the. upper wall margins, with an arcuate top wall margin to define a corner opening of generally topshaped configuration.

4. Incombination, a rectangular tissue carton including top, bottom and side walls and provided in a corner thereof with a tissue dispensing opening formed by the removal of adjacent portions of the connecting top and side walls of said corner, a stack of fiat uncreased tissue sheets disposed in said carton with said sheets being marginally interbonded only along opposite stack margins with the bonds defining fold lines confined to minor sportions of the sheet width and positioned adjacent diagonally disposed corners of the stack, said fold lines being in overlying relation and the stack being positioned in the carton to place said fold lines along those diagonally disposed carton corners spaced from said aperture defining corner.

5. The combination with a rectangular carton provided with means for the easy removal of portions defining an upper corner thereof to provide a dispenser opening, of a' stack of tissues contained therein to be sequentially dispensed through said opening, said stack comprising an elongate tissue strip transversely cut alternately from opposite strip margins with said cuts extending through major portions of the strip Width and leading into lines of weakening extending through the remaining portions of the strip marginally to define a series of fiat increased sheets interconnected in the areas of said lines of weakening, the sheets thus defined being continuously over-folded, one on the other along said lines of weakening with resulting fold lines in vertical registry and positioned diagonally of opposite stack margins, said stack being positioned in said carton with said diagonally disposed fold lines adjacent that pair of diagonally disposed carton corners both spaced from said aperture defining corner.

6. In combination, a rectangular carton of substantially square configuration in plan, a. stack of flat substantially square tissue sheets disposed in said carton, said sheets being interbonded along minor portions of opposite stack margins forming fold lines disposed in vertical registry adjacent diagonally disposed corner portions of the carton, and a dispensing open-ing provided in a corner of the carton spaced from said diagonally disposed corners and marginally defined by portions of the connecting top and side walls forming an upper corner of the carton, whereby sequential dispensing of an uppermost sheet from said stack through said opening effects the withdrawal of the adjacent underlying sheet first from one and then from the other of said diagonally disposed positions of sheet interbonding.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,878,399 Hope Sept; 20, 1932 2,050,394 'Straubel Aug. 11, 1936 2,115,673 Stompe Apr. 26, 1938 2,257,340 Jacobsen" Sept. 30, 1941 2,529,853 Taggart- Nov. 14, 1950 3,012,692 Petersen Dec. 12, 1961 

1. IN COMBINATION, A RECTANGULAR CARTON, INCLUDING TOP, BOTTOM, END AND SIDE WALLS, SAID CARTON PROVIDED WITH A CORNER APERTURE MARGINALLY DEFINED BY RELIEVED PORTIONS OF SAID TOP WALL AND ADJACENT SIDE AND END WALLS OF SAID CORNER, AND A STACK OF LIGHTLY INTERBONDED AND REVERSELY AND FLATLY OVERFOLDED TISSUE SHEETS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CARTON AND SEQUENTIALLY DISPENSABLE TRHOUGH SAID CORNER APERTURE, SAID TISSUE SHEETS BEING DISPOSED ONE OVER ANOTHER IN FLAT UNCREASED CONFIGURATION IN SAID STACK, AND BEING INTERCONNECTED WITH EACH OTHER ONLY BY MINOR PERFORATED SEGMENTS ALONG ALTENATE MARGINAL EDGES OF SAID REVERSE OVERFOLDS. 